Hen research at Bristol University could help people with osteoporosis

RESEARCHERS at the University of Bristol have found that omega-3 oil could help laying hens avoid bone damage – a condition that affects millions of hens each year, and the research may also help human patients suffering from osteoporosis.

The three-year research project, led by Dr John Tarlton and colleagues from the university School of Veterinary Sciences, investigated the benefits of omega-3 supplemented diets in laying hens. The study, published today in the journal BONE, could also have potential benefits for human osteoporosis, a disease that affects almost three million people in the UK.Free range hens housed in full scale commercial systems were provided diets supplemented with omega-3 alpha linolenic acid, and the skeletal benefits were investigated by comparison to standard diets rich in omega-6 linoleic acid.The research group found a 40 to 60 per cent reduction in keel bone breakage rate and a corresponding reduction in breakage severity in the omega-3 supplemented hens, compared with standard diets. There was also significantly greater bone mineral density, alongside improvements in bone structure.The mechanical properties of the omega-3 supplemented hens were also improved, with strength, toughness and stiffness demonstrating substantial increases. Dr John Tarlton, senior research fellow in veterinary pathology and infection and immunity, said: "Bone fragility due to osteoporotic changes in laying hens is a major economic and welfare problem, with our recent estimates of breakage rates indicating up to 95 per cent of free range hens suffer breaks during lay in some housing systems."Dr Michael Toscano, research associate working with Dr Tarlton, added: "The improved skeletal health in laying hens could correspond to as many as 68 million fewer hens suffering keel fractures in the EU each year. Also, our research findings on the mechanisms of improved bone strength may help human patients suffering from osteoporosis."The research study was funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and industrial partner, Noble Foods.

2 comments

I'd have thought the chickens' dodgy knees came from them being cooped up in a space about 1 cubic foot. Not that I mind eating cheap Miss Millies mind, but there must be some animal cruelty angle here that has gone straight over the heads of the BEP.